Cooks & Cocinas: Ben Brett

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March 23, 2011

Ben and Patty Brett, with daughter Kaetlin, created a kitchen that was large enough to accommodate more than one person.

Photo By HELEN L. MONTOYA/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

There are several eating areas, including a breakfast nook and island bar.

Photo By HELEN L. MONTOYA/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The 4-foot-by-8-foot prep island in the center allows plenty of room for cooking and serving.

Photo By HELEN L. MONTOYA/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Ben and Patty Brett's kitchen also includes an outdoor woodburning pizza oven.

Photo By HELEN L. MONTOYA/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

An oversized pantry holds all the staples, plus chafing dishes and other serving pieces.

Photo By HELEN L. MONTOYA/SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Typhoon Bordeaux granite counters, travertine tile backsplashes and knotty alder cabinets set an Old World tone in the Tuscan-style home. Porcelain tile floors mimic travertine but are easy to maintain.

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The kitchen took priority when a couple built a house, and memories of their honeymoon in Italy influenced the space.

Who's cooking: Ben Brett, an account manager for a beer importer. Daughter Kaetlin, 9, is the sous chef. Wife Patty, a real estate agent, makes pancakes on the weekends, and she and their 11-year-old daughter, Jessie, handle cleanup detail.

What's cooking: Ben, who ran restaurants in college and just after graduating, likes to grill and experiment with pasta, chicken and shrimp. The family sits down to dinner most evenings. “We're really trying to carve out that family time,” Patty says.

In this kitchen: When the Bretts built their home in the Peninsula at Rogers Ranch years 21/2 years ago, they designed an oversized kitchen for frequent gatherings of family and friends.

The space: 16 feet by 22 feet, including the breakfast nook. The patio, 11 feet by 32 feet, serves as a second kitchen and eating area.

On the surfaces: Typhoon Bordeaux granite counters, travertine tile backsplashes and knotty alder cabinets set an Old World tone in the Tuscan-style home.

Porcelain tile floors mimic travertine but are easy to maintain.

The vignette on tile mural behind the range reminds the Bretts of their honeymoon on the Amalfi Coast of Italy.

Oklahoma stone on the face of the bar echoes stone on the outdoor fireplace and pool surround.

Why it works: The kitchen is set up to accommodate more than one person. The 4-foot-by-8-foot prep island in the center allows plenty of room for cooking and serving. Two sinks and two dishwashers help, too.

Ample walkways around the island make it comfortable for more than one person to work in the kitchen, and the bar between the living area and kitchen is designed as an island to allow easy passage on either end. The traffic flow works well for entertaining.

An oversized pantry holds all the staples, plus chafing dishes and other serving pieces.

A microwave drawer gives the girls easy access, and with a setting for warming, it doubles as a warming drawer.

Indoors or out: When open, the bifold glass doors leading to the patio almost disappear to create a seamless space. “This is like an expansion of the kitchen,” says Ben of the outdoor area that includes a fridge, sink, grill and a brick oven for pizzas. Ben's working to master pizza dough, then he will experiment with different types of wood.

Splurges/sacrifices: The Wolf range with double ovens has been a pleasure, Ben says. Because they were putting cabinet panels over the fridge, the Bretts opted against a Sub-Zero.

Know of a good cook with a great kitchen? E-mail suggestions for Cooks & Cocinas to Home & Garden Editor Tracy Hobson Lehmann, tlehmann@express-news.net.